Wenger made his admiration for the player clear when he watched him play in the World Cup while Pochettino knows all about his qualities after working with him last season at Southampton.

Now United are ready to move in.

Manager Luis van Gaal has been using Michael Carrick to great effect in central midfield, but the Englishman will be 34 later this year and Schneiderlin would be the ideal long-term replacement as Van Gaal continues his re-building job at the Old Trafford giants.

Following the summer exodus from St Mary’s, Southampton insisted that Schneiderlin would stay.

But after helping Saints to guaranteed Premier League safety, the club may now consider a massive offer in the current transfer window.

Wenger is also a fan of another Southampton midfielder, Victor Wanyama.